Wrestling With the Bible: John 8:31-59

Each session will begin with a short time of worship, followed by a presentation in which Ann explores the passage in question – outlining both its original context and its subsequent reception history in Jewish and Christian communities, including visual representations, musical settings, and poetic responses. There will be discussion in break out groups, followed by an opportunity to ask questions, and ending with another short time of worship.

This session explores John 8:31-59: Jesus Tells the Jews That Their Father Is the Devil

This passage is probably the worst example of Judeophobia in the New Testament. John’s Gospel identifies believers in Christ with light and life. Conversely, it uses imagery of darkness and death to characterise those who deny Jesus’ claims. The association it creates between Jews and the devil has had a long and shameful afterlife, stretching from medieval to modern times. How are we to negotiate binary oppositions of John’s Gospel, and its inclusion of this passage? What are the implications for our understanding of scriptural inspiration?

The assumption throughout will be that engagement with scripture involves critical dialogue, not simply passive receiving. The biblical passages will be seen as raising questions rather than providing answers. We will discuss whether the questions are still relevant for us today, and what our own answers might be. The problems of the individual passages we study will feed into a broader consideration of what we understand by ‘scripture’. There will be an online resource page accompanying each session giving further material for the participants to explore.

Other sessions in this series include:
17 May – Psalm 137: By the Waters of Babylon
7 June – Genesis 22:1-19: Abraham Nearly Sacrifices Isaac